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"Magic is what makes fantasy fantastic," someone says, "you can't apply rules to them or else it loses wonder!" I respond, "Sure, but if you want to write them you will certainly want to know how they work." Writing is all about execution, and I find applying some basic laws of physics to magic systems make them more understandable and realistic. Here, I'm going to outline my basic method for developing a magic system.Column by Chaos2651Discuss it in our forums.

My story "Attitude Adjustment" is in the September issue of Analog, now available at the Orem Barnes & Noble (and presumably at others, too).

Here's how it starts:

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Danica Jarvis switched off the Moonskimmer's main engine, and her stomach lurched in the familiar way that marked the change to zero gravity. She fired the attitude thrusters, turning the mushroom-shaped ship until it floated head-down over the Moon, so the long stem of the engine wouldn't get in the way. The clear diamondglass of the Moonskimmer's hull allowed an unobstructed view of the lunar landscape.

From her pilot's chair in the center, she looked around at the eight tourists strapped to their seats along the circumference of the cabin. "This is the fun part of the trip. Unbuckle your seatbelts and float while you enjoy the view."

"Fun?" A teenage boy -- Bryson Sullivan, according to the manifest -- snorted. "Can we go back to the Hilton now?" He sported a bright purple datavisor and a shaved head.

Danica mustered her best be-nice-to-the-people-who-pay-my-salary grin and said, "Don't worry, Eddie and I will have you back to Luna City before the basketball game tonight. Right, Eddie?" Lunar-gravity basketball was a major tourist draw.

"Yes," said Eddie, the Moonskimmer's A.I. "Our total flight time is less than two and a half hours. You'll get to see the far side of the Moon, something fewer than a thousand humans have seen with their own eyes. You should enjoy it." Eddie's voice was enthusiastic.

The boy rolled his eyes, then opaqued his visor.

Danica decided to ignore the useless brat and turned her attention to the rest of the passengers. She pointed to one of the craters below and began her routine tour-guide patter.

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"Okay, folks, if you'd please return to your seats and buckle up," said Danica, "I'm going to turn the ship so you can see the Earth rise over the lunar horizon."

It took a couple of minutes for everyone to get settled. For most of the tourists, this was their first zero-gee experience, and it showed.

"Wait, I want to try zero-gee," said Bryson. He began unbuckling his seatbelt.

Danica couldn't believe it. The kid had stayed in his seat the whole time, probably playing videogames on his visor.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but we--"

Fwoomp!

The Moonskimmer jerked sideways, then lunged forward at its maximum acceleration of 0.75 gee.

Out of my stories that were published last year, I would like to draw your attention to two.

My short story "The Ashes of His Fathers" (Analog, May 2008) received several recommendations for the Nebula Award, but its eligibility was cut short by the new Nebula Awards rules. However, it is still eligible for the Hugo. Here's an excerpt from The Fix's review of the story:

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And if all of Analog’s stories were as good as “The Ashes of His Fathers,” the magazine might sell substantially better.

The second story is "The Robot Sorcerer" (InterGalactic Medicine Show, December 2008). Because Hugo Award eligibility is based on calendar years, this story hasn't had much time for word of mouth to spread. But here's an excerpt from The Fix's review:

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The story is personal in scale and filled with mystery, action, and even tragedy. Stone explores many themes: the nature of life, magic versus technology, magic as technology, moral dilemmas, and self-sacrifice being only a few. He does so while also creating a complex plot that doesn’t confuse the reader, establishing depth of character, and describing a rich and fascinating world while also maintaining a good pace. It is, by far, the best story in this issue.

I can't make the story available for free on my website because IGMS still has exclusive rights to it, but you can read the beginning here, and if you want to read the end, the issue only costs $2.50.

I'll be doing a book signing at the Orem Barnes & Noble on Saturday, January 17, starting at 1:00 pm. They will have copies of the Blood Lite and InterGalactic Medicine Show anthologies with my stories. (I believe they may also have a few Writers of the Future anthologies still in stock.)

Thanks. I usually do not write in present tense, but it felt right for this story. While I did not consider this factor consciously, I later decided that at least part of the reason is that relating something in past tense is, in essence, relating a memory of what happened. Since Kenneth's memory is unreliable, he can only be a reliable narrator for present tense.

What annoys me the most about vampires and werewolves is their good P.R. Not that I want a return to the days of villagers with pitchforks and torches, but all the romantic attachment to predators who hunt and kill humans makes me sick.

So when a cannibalistic serial killer started leaving the gnawed-on bones of his victims in public places, did the media label him a vampire? No. A werewolf? No.

The press called him the "Grove City Ghoul."

Those reporters had obviously never heard of fact-checking.

First, we ghouls are carrion eaters, not predators -- hyenas, not wolves. Sure, we like to feast on human flesh, but we find bodies that are already dead and eat them, after they've had a chance to decay a bit. For some inexplicable reason, people seem to think that's more grotesque than the actual killing by vampires and werewolves.

Second, a ghoul wouldn't just gnaw on the bones, he would eat them. Besides being nice and crunchy, they're a good source of calcium. That's why ghouls never suffer from osteoporosis.

My short story "Accounting for Dragons" is now available in issue 8 of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. The story is accompanied by an awesome illustration of a dragon by Nick Greenwood.

Several friends also have stories in the issue: John Brown, Matt Rotundo, and Aliette de Bodard.

I wrote "Accounting for Dragons" at the Odyssey workshop last year, to read at the Odyssey Slam.

Since the five stories I have available on AnthologyBuilder are not enough to fill a whole volume, I've created an anthology titled Eric James Stone & Company, which contains my stories plus stories by friends of mine. Go take a look.

And because the anthology contains a story by one of the featured authors for April, Campbell Award nominee Mary Robinette Kowal, if you buy a copy you'll get one dollar off the regular price of $14.95.